Documenti di Didattica
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1990 2010
marking 20 years of DnA analysis for the new Zealand criminal justice system
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It seems hard to believe that only a little more than two decades ago, using DNA to fight crime was unheard of. The development of DNA fingerprinting revolutionised forensic science and the investigation of crime worldwide. In the early years DNA profiling was primarily used to solve serious crimes. It is now routinely used to investigate a range of crimes from burglaries, to homicides. Often the investigation of a major crime using DNA technology has led to a number of different and often completely unrelated crimes being solved. When confronted with DNA evidence many offenders plead guilty, saving resources and money in criminal investigations, and through the court system. The continual development and improvements in the use of forensic DNA technology has enabled some of New Zealands most challenging cold cases to be solved. and it is also an extremely important tool in exonerating the innocent. Behind the scenes it can be the tool that excludes suspects or changes the focus of a police investigation. New Zealand has continually been at the forefront of developing and utilising forensic DNA technology. Our forensic scientists have been instrumental in major technological advances; most notably in the development of low copy number trace DNA and interpretation of DNA profiles. New Zealands hit rate, linking individuals to crimes through the databank, is one of the highest in the world. Our DNA expertise is recognised throughout the world and our forensic systems and scientists are sought after by other jurisdictions particularly in Australasia. The New Zealand criminal justice system has benefitted from two decades of continuous development and implementation of forensic DNA. The partnership between
ESR provides independent impartial forensic service expertise to support the New Zealand justice system. This comprehensive forensic service is underpinned by robust research and the latest DNA technology.
users of the criminal justice system, and particularly between ESR and the New Zealand Police, should ensure that New Zealand retains its place as a world leader in the use of this crime fighting technology.
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2001
Theresa Cormack cold case solved using improved DNA technology
2007
Increased discrimination between DNA profiles
2006
Y-STR introduced
19871988
NZ scientists begin training in the new technology Introduction of DNA profiling into casework in New Zealand
2006
Low Copy Number technology introduced to NZ casework
2005
Robots introduced to the DNA laboratory
2008
New extraction technology introduced
19951996 1990
First DNA evidence presented in NZ court
National DNA Databank established
2002
NZs purpose built forensic DNA laboratory opens
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violation and 68 other offences and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In 1995 seven rapes and a homicide in South Auckland were linked by DNA testing. In 1996 DNA linked another series of rapes in central Auckland to the South Auckland rapes. A mass DNA screen of several thousand men was undertaken. Malcolm Rewa headed the suspect list but couldnt be located. In May 1996 Rewa was arrested following an attack on a 16 year old girl. His DNA profile matched the DNA linked crimes. On the first day of his trial he pleaded guilty to all cases where there was DNA evidence except for the homicide. He was found guilty in 26 other cases. A second trial found him guilty of the homicide.
services for the New Zealand Police including the identification and grouping of bloodstains and semen stains. This was done using blood typing. The new DNA-based method would prove to be far more discriminating than conventional blood typing for the identification of individuals involved in crime.
It was these types of investigations that provided the impetus for the establishment of the NZ National DNA Databank.
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the national DnA Database contains DNA profiles from individuals and the crime sample Database contains DNA profiles from unsolved crimes. by comparing the two databases, possible suspects can be identified and crimes linked. When introduced, the new Zealand national DnA Databank was the second national DnA Databank in the world, the first being established in the United Kingdom in 1995.
In the UK in 1993 94 Dr Gill was leading the team which confirmed the identity of the remains of the Romanov family, murdered in 1918, and the subsequent investigation which disproved the claim of Anna Anderson to be the Duchess Anastasia. This work led the way for the use of forensic DNA analysis methods in the investigation of historic crimes of international significance, and ultimately the use of these and similar techniques in the investigation of mass disasters, including war crimes.
Between 1996 and 2000, ESR increased the number of STR loci tested from 3 to 6, then 10. Discrimination between individuals improved from likelihood ratios of one in 100s in the early days to one in hundreds of millions. Sensitivity also improved with modifications to technology and equipment used.
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Since the outcome of such a search requires careful consideration and much investigative follow-up by the Police, familial searching is only recommended in a small number of selected cases. These are typically homicides or serious sexual assaults where no link has been established with the national DNA databank and all other persons of interest have been eliminated. To date familial searching has been undertaken in fewer than 20 cases.
The LCN technique copies a DNA sample through 34 cycles compared with 28 under standard DNA methods. This equates to a 50-fold increase in sensitivity. It can be used to obtain profiles from items that have only been touched, and on samples where standard DNA testing is unsuccessful. It is only used in a limited number of appropriate cases.
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LooKinG forWArD
ESR will introduce the definitive identification of human body fluids and tissues by mRNA profiling. This innovative technology will be initially applied to selected casework samples. It allows for the identification of body fluids, (vaginal fluids, menstrual blood and saliva) at the same time as determination of the DNA profile. The introduction of this technology is a direct consequence of ESR investment in research and development. Also coming is the Laser Microdissector. This combination of microscope and dissection apparatus will allow ESR scientists to identify and select cells individually for further profiling. Thus, spermatozoa will be able to be selected and processed independently of other cells and body fluids in case samples. Current areas of research and development in the DNA/RNA area include: the identification of botanical evidence including DNA profiling of cannabis seizures to establish common origins and the discrimination of psychoactive cannabis from hemp (fibre producing cannabis) investigations of the behaviour of low level contributions to DNA mixtures ageing of injuries and bruises using molecular biology and proteomic methods development of cell identification methods using proteomics (the largescale study of proteins, their structure and functions) ageing body fluid stains at crime scenes
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very seriously. The databank system is on a separate dedicated secure system that is physically isolated and contains a number of security features. External parties, including the New Zealand Police, cannot access any information on the database. Access by ESR staff is extremely limited, physically and by system security features, to only those working with the forensic DNA facility. ESRs DNA laboratory has three teams: the National DNA Database team the Crime Sample Database team the Priority Casework team. The Priority Casework team in the DNA laboratory analyses forensic samples for major criminal investigations. Priority cases are commonly run under extremely tight timings, with scientists often in the laboratory around the clock.
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operation backcapture
Changes to the New Zealand Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Act, (1995), allowed for the compulsory collection and storage of DNA profiles from imprisoned offenders. The Act permits comparison of these DNA profiles to DNA profiles obtained from crime scene samples stored on the New Zealand Crime Sample Database. This operation identified 87 links to crimes. Of these links, 65% were cold links, meaning a previously unreported suspect was linked to a crime through DNA.
operation oakley
The case started with the discovery of semen on doorknobs and car door handles at an address in Mt Albert over several months. Samples submitted to the Crime Sample database showed that these cases were linked to the same offender. Using a covert surveillance camera, the Police arrested a male suspect, who consented to providing a DNA sample. The suspects profile matched that of the samples from the crime scene, and he received a sixmonth suspended sentence. . . . but the story doesnt end there. Later, a series of serious sexual assaults on young females began. Samples from the scenes linked the assaults not only to each other, but also to the earlier
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The soles of the shoes were identified as a brand sold at The Warehouse in Tokoroa. Police discovered only three pairs had been sold, only one in the size that Te Hiko wore. Police then trolled through store security tapes for that particular occasion and found video of Te Hiko purchasing those shoes. Te Hiko pleaded guilty to the murder and in May 2007 was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years non-parole.
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indecencies in Mt Albert. The offender pleaded guilty and is serving 18 years imprisonment.
Prolonged abuse
A case using profiling results has proved that physical abuse occurred at a dwelling over a long period of time. The result was achieved by positively identifying the source of minute bloodstains distributed throughout the crime scene as belonging to the victims.
Post-mortem examination
DNA profiling can be used in postmortem examination where identification of the deceased is difficult due to incineration, drowning, or complete or partial decomposition. It is used in cases where the more common methods of radiography (X-rays) and odontology (forensic dentistry) are unsuitable.
A DNA profile using low copy number technology was generated from the rope used to strangle a Dunedin student in a rape.
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